Long Beach Airport conducts emergency communications drill

LONG BEACH - An emergency training exercise was conducted at Long Beach Airport Friday to test inter-agency communications and response capabilities.

The two-hour exercise, which began about 11 a.m., is mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration every three years for airport certification, according to Kerry Gerot of the city of Long Beach.

"It went very well," Gerot said. "The primary purpose of the exercise is safety and preserving life, and I think that everybody was pleased with the way things went."

Gerot said a debriefing process would take place over the next few days to evaluate the exercise.

The airport continued normal operations throughout the exercise, which took place near the north side of the airfield.

An "aircraft incident with mass casualties" was simulated, and there were realistic- sounding radio transmissions describing deployment of personnel and alerts to local hospitals. Volunteers portrayed victims, and the California Air National Guard provided a C-130 aircraft.

Drill participants included personnel from the airport; the Long Beach police, fire and public works departments; the Greater Long Beach Chapter of the American Red Cross; the Los Angeles County Coroner's office; St. Mary Medical Center; the California Air National Guard; the Transportation Security Administration; the FBI; and various airlines.